Snippet #2049693

As they walked together Shadow couldn't help but feel a strange sense of nostalgia until his wandering thoughts were brought back to reality.

"Please forgive me for my rudeness. I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Sereinia Lucis Nouralail. You may call me however you may wish. Most people do call me Dr. Nora."

Shadow stopped mid stride and nodded to her.

"Very well then, Sereinia. I hope you'll accept my calling you by name, as I am not one to observe titles with any sort of consistency." He said, somewhat apologetically.

As they drew nearer and found their way to the edge of town where the forest began and the buildings ended, Mayumi appeared and seemed to stop as both he and Sereinia walked passed.

Normally he would order her to follow, but Mayumi had taken everything he'd thrown at her during training without complain so he could hardly force her to enter a house she was unfamiliar with. During their time together, Shadow had managed to dissect small bits of her psyche by watching her movements, body language, listening to her vocalizations when speaking and during training, and by listening very carefully to how she voiced her sentences. It was clear that Mayumi had never trusted anyone before, and in that sense she was not very different from Shadow when he was her age. In fact, she was more like him than he wanted to admit, but this was not the time to be thinking about such things.

Shadow decided it was best to press onward, but once again was faced with Sereinia's somewhat disarming voice.

"Mr. Shadow, I apologize if I delayed you and your companion on your travels. You saved me and you even have to carry the two men whom you went out of your way to save me from. Honestly, you have no obligation to do so. I am very thankful. I am in your debt. So, if you need my help... I will come to your aid."

Shadow smiled at her, the more pleasant memories of one long since passed on flooding his mind and bringing a slight ray of warmth to his heart as he sighed through his nose quietly before nodding to her once again. No words really needed to be spoken this time, as it was a simple gesture which was easily understood.

Shadow decided to take point after this and walked ahead into the town with Sereinia close behind. The clinic Sereinia spoke of was the only one available in this area, so it was not hard to spot. When Shadow reached the door he set the men down and analyzed the building before looking at his clothing. During the time he and Mayumi had spent training, he'd neglected to properly clean or maintain his jacket and shirt, and thus needed to repair them. Not only that, but Shadow had ordered Mayumi to travel light without any extra food or other supplies other than her weapons and any small items she always kept with her during traveling. Shadow was not usually so neglectful of things that he needed, but he had been so focused on training Mayumi and setting off without delay that he had forgotten to plan accordingly.

The fact that his past had been haunting him was not helping the issue either, and it was one of Shadow's greatest weaknesses.

Phantoms from the past, the voices and threats of his past victims and enemies swirled in his head, as well as the voices of allies who died in his arms were a constant threat to his sanity and focus. More than once they had gotten him into potentially fatal situations, and it was not so long ago that one such incident had taken place. Despite all of his strength and skills as the most feared Assassin in the world, Shadow was helpless against the ghosts of his past as they constantly buzzed through his mind like a swarm of bees waiting to sting him to death at any moment.

He turned to Mayumi and sighed, letting his shame be known.

"I have neglected ample supplies and blame myself for this humiliation. For tonight you will find a place to rest on the rooftops and out of sight. I will give a signal Sora is sure to pick up on tomorrow once I am ready and we will press onward in the morning. Forgive me Mayumi, but there is no avoiding this setback. I will be sure to never neglect our needs like this again."

With that he turned to Sereinia.

"I hope that I can ask for your assistance now Sereinia. I need to replace these clothes, or at least repair them. Would you happen to have anything I could use in the clinic to get the job done?" He asked quietly.